Insider Monkey

25 Gayest Cities in the World

Ramish Cheema
8 min read

In This Article:

In this piece, we will take a look at the 25 Gayest Cities in the World. For more cities, head on over to 10 Gayest Cities in the World.

The rising trend of diversity and inclusion and acceptance for different sexual orientations is impacting the global economy positively. Several research papers have attempted to explain this phenomenon. For instance, one paper from Rutgers University and the University of  Massachusetts aims to establish a link between LGB (Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual) inclusion and the gross domestic product (GDP). It uses regression and economic data from 132 countries for almost five decades to determine if more rights to gays lead to higher GDP output. The rights are determined through the Global Index on Legal Recognition of Homosexual Orientation (GILRHO), and the researchers found out that a 12.5% increase (one point increase on an eight point index) on the index led to $2,000 gains in GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the total economic output of a country divided by its population, and using the United States as an example, a $2,000 per capita gain leads to a whopping $663 billion addition to the GDP (assuming that the net addition is for the entire population and not just the gay people). This explanation is quite intuitive as well, since if gay people are accepted within society, they are more likely to land stable jobs and perform well in them - boosting their output and the broader economy as a result.

Another paper investigating the economic impacts of LGBT inclusion comes from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). This study, done in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), expands the focus to include people that are minorities in terms of both gender and sexual orientation. It also takes a look at how freedom to live for these people end up impacting the broader economy. The study shows that economically speaking, LGBT people are harmed through state suppression, police detention and extortion, workplace discrimination, mental health issues, and discrimination in learning institutions - all of which add up to impact their productivity and output. The research also uses GILRHO and adds to it the Transgender Rights Index (TRI) to measure the legal rights of LGBT folks, and initially concludes that a single point increase in rights leads to a $1,400 growth in GDP per capita.

The conclusions reached by these studies become rather self evident if we take a look at patterns and trends of homelessness in America. Despite being the wealthiest and most technologically advanced nation in the world, America's laser focus on capitalism and failure to solve some of the fundamental issues of the society has led to devastating problems that see large chunks of its population unable to afford a roof over their head or find adequate employment. Data from the National Alliance to End Homelessness shows that as of 2020, there were 580,466 documented cases of homeless people in the U.S. Within this group, more than 40% of youth identify as LGBT or queer, a fourfold increase when compared to trends in the general population according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Building on this, the WEF also highlights that gay and lesbian young people are also four times as likely to either contemplate or attempt suicide, showing the true human impacts that potential discrimination can have on people who otherwise deserve an equal shot at life.

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